I have no idea what color Ricky Reed’s eyes are. The frontman for Wallpaper. wears his signature fedora and sunglasses in promotional photos, and his stage presence is no different. Though any personality emitting from his eyes is shielded, his stage presence is off-the-wall hyped-up ridiculousness.
At the Prophet Bar in Deep Ellum, Reed and his bandmates are using the stage as a trampoline; tuck jumping and rebounding in figure eights from behind the microphone stands. His synchronous drummers are each rapping upon half a drum set as Reed transitions into a military march to the beat in his TOMS shoes.
Sounds like: 3OH!3; Chingy circa 2003.
Looks like: 1985 called and wants its parachute pants and neon T’s back.
Deep Ellum reminded me of New York City on the night of the concert. As I turned a corner nearing the venue, the tiny entryway was surrounded by people dressed in dark clothing; smoking cigarettes, nonchalantly draped against the building façade. I made my way into a large room full of people, all gathered for a similar cause. The Wallpaper. concert was like watching the band perform in a garage: two drummers, prerecorded instrumentals and a hell of a good time. (more…)
